


oh, the places you'll go!

by roseyong



Category: TREASURE (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Babies, Baby So Junghwan, Developing Relationship, Kid Fic, Kim Doyoung (TREASURE) is a Little Shit, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slightly Angsty at Times, but it's mostly just fluff and my sad attempts at humor, can u believe that there r only 9 fics including mine in the jikyu tag, ily junghwan i'm so sorry i made u a baby for storyline purposes, junghwan was dropped off on ji's doorstep, junkyu is head over heels for jihoon hnnn, no literally bc junghwan is a baby, who is his mother? hell if i know, yoshi? alone? nope he has hyunsuk :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26566672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseyong/pseuds/roseyong
Summary: Being thrust into parenthood at the ripe old age of twenty-one was never in Jihoon’s plans. Nor was falling in love with Junkyu—but fate works in mysterious ways.
Relationships: Bang Yedam/Kim Doyoung, Choi Hyunsuk/Kanemoto Yoshinori, Hamada Asahi/Yoon Jaehyuk, Kim Junkyu/Park Jihoon
Comments: 14
Kudos: 122





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i really like jikyu and it makes me :( that there r so few fics for them  
> so i decided to contribute! also yeah jaesahi are here too bc i really luv them <3
> 
> anyway, i hope u enjoy!
> 
> (yes the title is that dr seuss book lol)

"Doyoung said that you needed my help?" Junkyu barging into Asahi's dorm room uninvited—you know, in the usual Kim Junkyu fashion—his eyes still glued to his phone screen, so engrossed in the latest episode of god knows what anime that he just narrowly manages to avoid colliding with the younger man. Asahi gracefully sidestepping him with a frown, honestly surprised that Junkyu hadn't noticed the baby carrier that he’s currently wearing, let alone the bundle of joy fastened within. 

"Asahi-yah,” Junkyu whines, “You gotta be more careful next time! I almost-" Junkyu pocketing his phone as he prepares to lecture the blonde for something that he’s literally the one at fault for, only for his eyes to widen rather comically when he's met with a chubby little face gazing right back at him, the child's doe eyes weirdly alert, pouty lower lip wobbling as they stare each other down, but it's ultimately Junkyu who ends up cracking first. The overly dramatic man skirting away with a loud yelp, tripping over his own two feet as he scrambles over to behind what must be the kid’s bassinet as if thinking it’d actually serve as a barrier between him and the miniature human being strapped to Asahi's chest. Said male simply sighing in disappointment at this, shaking his head as he begins to unstrap the little boy, who gurgles loudly, kicking his socked feet happily.

"Yes? Are you done gawking hyung? Good, now can you lend me a hand with Hwannie? He's always so difficult when it comes to-"

"Y-You have a baby?! When the actual hell did that happen?! I didn't think that you’d ever even had a girlfriend-"

"He's not mine," Asahi interrupts Junkyu's mini freak out mid-sentence, "I'm simply babysitting him while Yoshi and Doyoung try to track down Jihoon." Junghwan, if Junkyu's heard that right, now safely cradled in Asahi's arms, too busy preoccupied with blowing spit bubbles to pay them any mind, shrieking in delight as he did so. And wow, does this kid have quite the pair of lungs on him. 

"Wait, Jihoon?" Junkyu's interest piquing considerably, "Park Jihoon? Our Park Jihoon."

"Well yeah, what other Jihoon do we know?" Asahi mutters, Junkyu squawking at the unexpected sass to the Japanese man's words, "But seriously hyung, me? A father at twenty? And I'm _gay._ You know that-"

"Oh shut up," Junkyu huffs, sulkily crossing his arms over his chest, "You know just as well as I do that accidents happen sometimes." Asahi rolling his eyes at that, gingerly shifting Junghwan to a more comfortable position with another sigh, one that doesn't go unheard by Junkyu, who pouts.

"Yes, but I'd literally never even gone out on a date with anyone until I met Jaehyuk," Junkyu narrowing his eyes suspiciously, but doesn't press, seemingly taking Asahi's word for truth, which is actually kind of sad if he's to be totally honest here.

"Whatever," He says, "Hand him over," Junkyu making grabby hands at the shorter, Asahi biting back a smirk as he hands the child over, Junghwan whining at the change in people, not used to the strange man who was now holding him. His little face scrunching up in displeasure, well, that is until he notices the dark locks hanging just in reach of his pudgy baby hands. Junghwan squealing as he grabs ahold of a fistful of hair, which has Junkyu wincing.

"Hyung I-" But much to Asahi's surprise, Junkyu actually has some degree of experience, as he somehow manages to handle the situation perfectly, or as perfectly as one possibly can, he supposes. Junghwan watching in wonder as Junkyu proceeded to make funny faces at him, and sure enough, he slowly but surely lets go of Junkyu’s hair, popping his thumb in his mouth and sucking on it cutely.

"See? You’re not some kind of special baby whisperer, I too know how to do this," Junkyu says proudly as he widely grins, his smug aura having Asahi wanting to bash his head into the nearest wall.

"I never insinuated that I was a baby whisperer, but okay hyung, whatever helps you sleep at night." He says with yet another sigh, and Junkyu absolutely beams, bouncing Junghwan, who’s babbling to himself, which even Asahi has to admit is somewhat cute. _(But only somewhat.)_

"Sounds like someone’s jealous~” Junkyu teases, “But don’t feel too bad Sahi, I’m sure you’re Junghwan’s second favorite uncle!”

\---

“So, are we gonna address the elephant in the room, or are we just going to pretend that it was the stork who dropped Junghwan off?” Hyunsuk starts, as no one else in the room had the guts to address the events leading up to the arrival of the newest member of their little family, who was currently sound asleep in Yoshi’s arms.

And Jihoon flushes, ears going pink, “Look, I can explain.”

“The explain,” Hyunsuk replies, warily glancing over at the sleeping babe before turning his gaze back to Jihoon, “Because as far I knew, you were anything but straight.”

“You’re correct, but uh, I was drunk,” Jihoon admits sheepishly, “And well one thing led to another, and boom now I have Junghwan.” Junkyu feeling his heart skip a beat as he watches Jihoon’s facial features soften, clearly already enamored with his son, though Junkyu knows he’d rather kneel over and die than to admit that.

“And you’re 100% sure that he’s yours?” Doyoung pipes up from where he’s squished in between Asahi and Jaehyuk, “Not that I doubt your ability to-”

“Yes, I’m sure he’s mine.” Jihoon interrupts the younger before he can finish his sentence, “My name’s on his birth certificate and everything.”

“He came with a birth certificate?” Yedam asks, brows knitting together as he does so, “Do you happen to have it with you, hyung?” Jihoon nodding his head as he reaches for his duffle bag, pulling out the document and handing it over to Yedam, who skims it over with rapt attention. “Oh, so he’s,” He pauses, counting on his fingers, “Nearly seven months old? Yeah, he’ll be seven months on the 18th.”

“Yes, yes, an Aquarius,” Doyoung tuts approvingly, “We love to see it.”

“Oh my god, would you quit it with the astrological bullshit,” Junkyu groans, wishing he were closer so that he could throttle the youngest (well, aside from Junghwan obviously) of the bunch, “Literally no one but you cares about that stuff.”

“You’re just bitter because you have one of the bitchiest signs,” Doyoung shoots back, Yoshi muttering something about watching their profanity around Junghwan, who’s slowly beginning to stir.

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Guys-” But before Yoshi can finish, Junghwan lets out a high-pitched wail that rather effectively shuts everyone up, poor Jihoon looking ready to faint as his son is thrust into his arms, clearly not having the hang of this whole parenting thing quite yet.

“Hyung help!” Handing off the now fussing baby to Hyunsuk, who, in turn, passes him to Yedam, who passes him to Jaehyuk, who passes him to Asahi, who quickly hands him to Doyoung, who tries fruitlessly to soothe him. 

And after a few minutes of Junkyu watching Doyoung’s pitifully sad attempts at calming Junghwan down, he decides that he can't bear to stand witness to such a trainwreck any longer, getting up from where he’s perched over by the kitchen counter to take Junghwan for himself. 

“Shhh,” He hums, “It’s okay baby, you’re okay,” Cuddling Junghwan close to his chest as he rocks him, “Your daddy might be shit at getting you to shut up right now, but give him some time, he’ll learn,”

“Kim Junkyu!” Hyunsuk slapping a hand over Jihoon’s mouth almost immediately, hissing at him to “shut the hell up” with a glare so icy that it rivals one of the glares Asahi had specially reserved for anyone who dared to speak badly about his Jaehyuk. The eldest of the group quick to pull his hand away when Jihoon licks it, Hyunsuk yelping in disgust as he elbows Jihoon in the ribs, hard. _How charming._

“As I was saying,” Junkyu pauses, heart threatening to beat right out of his chest when he notices how the corner of Jihoon’s mouth tugged just slightly upward, eyes following his every move, studying Junkyu in a way that made the younger flush. “You all would be lost without me, Kim Junkyu, your resident baby whisperer~”

“How much?” Jihoon’s question taking Junkyu by surprise, as he tilts his head in confusion, and Jihoon sighs. “How much do I have to pay for you to be Junghwan’s babysitter?”

“W-wait, what? Me?” Junkyu stammers, “I love you, Ji, but I'm sorry. I just can’t-”

“Please,” Jihoon says, “You’ll only have to look after him when I’m in class,” Taking Junghwan, who’s thankfully ceased his crying, from Junkyu, “And anyway, once I get into contact with his mother, you’ll be free to go,” He adds with an afterthought, making everyone frown, not quite understanding as to what the new father was alluding to.

“Huh?” Asahi voicing the question that they all were currently thinking, “Why are you planning on contacting his mom?” Because while Asahi may not know much about the golden rules of parenting, he’s pretty sure that dumping your kid on the doorstep of his father who hadn’t a clue of his existence until now qualifies as breaking quite a few of them.

“To give him back to her, duh,” Jihoon replies with a snort, nose wrinkling in distaste when Junghwan clumsily pats at his cheek with a hand that’d only seconds earlier been in his mouth, “I mean, it’s not like you all actually expected me to keep him, right?” But the stunned silence that Jihoon’s met with speaks for itself. “Guys, c’mon, I’m barely able to take care of myself, much less a baby.”

“Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean you can just abandon him,” Jaehyuk says, frowning. “He’s your kid hyung, your own flesh and blood.”

“Yeah, hyung,” Doyoung nodding in agreement, all previous traces of his jokester self gone, “Just because you were dumb and made a mistake doesn’t mean you get a free cop-out,”

“I...okay yeah, you’re right,” Jihoon confesses, Junghwan smiling when Junkyu waves at him, showing off the two baby teeth that he had, “But I’m sorry, I just don’t think that I can appropriately provide for him-”

“I’ll do it.” Junkyu suddenly says, an oddly determined look on his face, “I’ll help you take care of Junghwan. I mean,” Blushing when he realizes that all eyes are on him, “And don’t you even think about trying to pay me, okay?”

“But hyung,” Doyoung childishly whines, “You could have used that money to buy me food~”

“Kim Doyoung, I will literally punt you.”

“Alrighty then!” Hyunsuk claps his hands like the utter mom that he is, “Now that that’s all settled, how about we try turning it down a notch?”

\---

"Hey, hyung," Doyoung whispers, as not to wake Junghwan, who's fast asleep in Junkyu's arms, the nearly-seventh-month having been left in their care while the others ran out to pick up various baby supplies, "You still like him, don't you?" And Junkyu blanches, looking up from admiring the little life in his arms with a vaguely horrified expression.

"W-what?" Junkyu stutters, "What on earth are you talking about, Doyoung?"

"Don't play dumb hyung," Doyoung glares, frustrated that he wasn't being taken seriously, "I wasn't born yesterday."

"Oh yeah? Well, I don't like him, okay?" Junkyu replies, running a finger over Junghwan's chubby cheek, "Sure, maybe I liked him when we were in high school, but things are different now." Which is true. Junkyu _did_ like Jihoon back during their high school days, but now? Not so much.

"Uh-huh," Doyoung hums, rolling his eyes, "And water is wet."

"I'm serious though!" Junkyu insists, even though deep down inside he knows that the younger boy is right, because yes, he did indeed still harbor feelings for the one and only Park Jihoon, "I honestly don't like him anymore."

"Then why did you offer to take care of Hwannie, hm?" Doyoung counters, not at all willing to drop the subject, "You could have easily refused."

"And let Junghwan suffer at the hands of Jihoon's more than questionable parenting skills?" Junkyu grimaces, "Yeah, I'd rather not." And his answer seems to satisfy Doyoung, as he finally drops it, sitting down beside Junkyu with a small smile, watching as little Junghwan gurgled in his sleep.

"Hey, hyung," Doyoung says again, his voice quieter now, and Junkyu quirks a brow, wondering what on earth it could possibly be that the younger needed this time, "I really hope that you can change Jihoon-hyung's mind."

"Me too, Youngie, me too."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i watch a youtube tutorial on how to use a BABYBJÖRN baby carrier just for fic writing accuracy? perhaps. and did i also look up good luck charlie quotes for the same purposes? again, perhaps
> 
> also i love doyoung’s reddish (?) hair sm so he’s a redhead in this fic—oh and he’s also a little shit but he manages to worm his way into ur heart (i’m just kidding i love him sm okay)
> 
> anyhow enough rambling i hope u enjoy! <3

"It’s so weird how you’re like this kid's unofficial but totally official babysitter now," Doyoung remarks with his mouth full of french fries, Junkyu pretending to gag as he bounces Junghwan on his lap, the little boy giggling hysterically as he claps his hands together.

"For the last time, he _has_ a name Doyoung," Junkyu scolds the younger, "And you can’t be deciding what _is_ and _isn’t_ weird when you’ve literally done some of the weirdest shit known to man." And Doyoung just sticks his tongue out at Junkyu, who in turn swipes up one of the redhead's fries with a smirk.

"Hey!"

"Oh would you hush you ungrateful brat, you weren’t the one who even paid," Junkyu quips as he rolls his eyes, not noticing how Junghwan starts to fuss, whining as he wriggled about in Junkyu’s arms, "And besides, didn't I hear you mention only _yesterday_ that you've started a diet? Hm?" Doyoung opening his mouth to fire back an equally witty response when Junghwan decides that now is the perfect time to spit up all over Junkyu, the little boy making a mess out of both the front of his duck onesie and Junkyu's t-shirt, the owner of said t-shirt doing nothing but sighing deeply while Doyoung's eyes just about bug out of his head, mouth comically agape. And Junkyu honestly wouldn't put it past the younger to start screaming any second now, you know, given just how fucking dramatic the theater major could be.

"I'll be back in a second," He mutters, balancing the vomit-covered Junghwan on his hip as he reaches for the boy's diaper bag (silently thanking Yoshinori for being smart enough to think to pack some extra outfits for the kid), slinging it over his shoulder as he heads for the bathroom, "Oh, and save some fries for me, God knows that I need them."

\---

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” Hyunsuk letting out a defeated groan as Jihoon grins, all seven men ignoring Doyoung’s indignant squawk of “hey, what’s that supposed to mean hyung!” as they knew better than to indulge in their resident drama queen’s theatrics. Both Asahi and Jaehyuk regarding their hyung with pitying gazes while Junkyu rocks Junghwan, who’s little mouth is smeared with Gerber’s “Apple Avocado” baby food, his “Daddy’s little monkey” baby bib also in a similar state of chaos.

“Okay! Now that we’ve established our teams, let’s get to work!” Jihoon says with a clap of his hands, his grin widening as he turns to Junkyu, happily scooping up Junghwan, “We’re gonna go find your mommy, aren’t we Hwannie?” And Junghwan laughs, a sound so beautiful that Junkyu has no doubt that the fairy who was born from his first laugh will surely be as special as Tinkerbell. Or not. Junkyu’s never seen the movie.

“Yeah, that’s cool and all, but why do I have to be stuck with _him?”_ Hyunsuk pouts as he points at Doyoung, the younger boy simply shooting him a wink in reply, which makes Hyunsuk cringe, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Can you maybe not? I’m literally begging you to not be unhinged for just one day— _one_ day.”

“Sorry, no can do hyung!” He chirps, “It’s either take me as I am or watch me as I go!”

“Oh, well if it’s as simple as that, then the door’s that way.”

“Hyung!”

“Anyways,” Jihoon coughs, bringing everyone’s attention back to him, “Now that we have our teams, let’s go!”

“Wait, I wasn’t paying attention,” Junkyu watching with great satisfaction as the life drains from his crush’s (yeah, Jihoon’s his crush, mind your own business Doyoung) eyes, “What team am I on again?”

“My team,” Jihoon sighs, handing off Junghwan to Yoshinori, “You’re on my team.”

_Well fuck._

\---

_Loving Jihoon was never in Junkyu’s plans._

_He was simply an acquaintance of Junkyu’s—nothing more, nothing less._

_Junkyu never letting Jihoon get too close for fear of what he would later learn was losing him, but unluckily (or rather luckily perhaps) for Junkyu, Jihoon was stubbornly persistent. Always being sure to sit next to Junkyu whenever possible, as well as inviting the shy boy to sit with him and his friends, sometimes even going so far as to walk with Junkyu on their way home._

_And every time that Junkyu would try to pull away, to take a step back, Jihoon would continue to chase after him, grabbing his wrist before he had the chance to run._

_“Junkyu-yah,” He would whine, a pout playing on his lips as he gave Junkyu the best puppy dog eyes that he could muster, “Walk home with me? Please? Pretty please?”_

_“Don’t you have like, Hyunsuk or Jaehyuk to do that with?” Jihoon’s face falling upon once again being rejected, something which genuinely made no sense to Junkyu, as getting to walk home with him really wasn’t anything special in his opinion._

_“Well, I mean yeah,” Jihoon watching as Junkyu packed up his belongings, the corners of his mouth twitching when he spots the younger’s Hello Kitty pencil case, “But I don’t wanna walk home with them, I wanna walk home with you.” His words making Junkyu feel strangely warm all over, his heart fluttering for reasons he doesn’t quite yet understand, cheeks reddening._

_“And if I say no?” Honestly surprised that he didn’t stumble over his words, though he’s still unable to look Jihoon in the eyes as he says this, something Junkyu prays that Jihoon doesn’t manage to pick up on._

_“Then I’ll keep on bugging you until you say yes,” Jihoon answers him like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “So will you please walk home with me? Please?”_

_“You’re not gonna quit anytime soon, are you?” Junkyu had sighed, zipping up his backpack, and Jihoon enthusiastically nods, smiling with that adorable eye smile of his, “Well, if that’s the case, then I guess I really don’t have any other choice, now do I?”_

_“Nope!” Jihoon grins, popping the 'P' in a way that has no business being that cute, “Now c’mon, we gotta hurry before it starts to rain!”_

\---

“So,” Junkyu begins, strapping a fussing Junghwan into his baby carrier, “Do you have any clues as to who his mom is?” Avoiding Jihoon’s eyes as he adjusts the straps so that both he and Junghwan are comfortable. A frustratingly difficult task when all that Junkyu can focus on is just how close he actually is to Jihoon, but hey, someone had to do it.

“I didn’t even remember sleeping with a woman until Hwannie showed up,” Jihoon awkwardly giving Junkyu a sort of half-smile when he’s finished, a laugh bubbling up in his throat when he looks down to see Junghwan’s round little face curiously peering up at him, his tiny hand resting on Jihoon’s chest. “So no, I unfortunately don’t.”

“Did he not come with a note?” Junkyu frowned, only for his eyes to light up not even a second later, realization dawning on him, “Wait, didn’t you say that he came with his birth certificate?” 

“Well,” Jihoon hesitates, “Yes, he did, but…” He trails off, and Junkyu raises a brow, not understanding what Jihoon was getting at in the slightest.

“But?”

“Let’s just say that it’s complicated,” And that’s seemingly enough for Junkyu, who hums, Junghwan yawning from where he was snuggled into Jihoon’s chest, lulled by his heartbeat. “As well as probably being illegal,” Jihoon adds with an afterthought.

“Hey, what-”

“Point is,” Jihoon continues, brushing that bit of information aside, “We’re going off of nothing, like, not even a name.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense-”

“Shh, don’t question it,” Jihoon shushes as he reaches out for Junkyu’s hand, who sighs, but lets him hold it anyways, “I’ll figure something out!”

And it’s in that moment, when Jihoon takes his hand in his, that Junkyu knows that he’s fucked. Royally fucked.

Junkyu’s heart skipping a beat as Jihoon gives his hand a gentle squeeze, their fingers intertwining perfectly, almost as if their hands were meant for each other and each other _only_ , “Will you?”

“Yep, I will!” Jihoon says, smiling as he swings their hands as they start to head for the door, “Oh oh oh! I know! Let’s start by going to the place where this all began!” And consequences be damned, it’s worth it (it being holding hands with your crush of nearly five years against your better judgment) to see Jihoon smile, “Let’s hit the clubs!”

_Good luck, Junghwan._

\----

**[bros4eva: 8 members]**

**(*junkyu voice*) Park Jihoon!:** hey can someone pls come get hwannie?

 **(*junkyu voice*) Park Jihoon!:** bc kyu said it wasn’t appropriate to bring a baby to a nightclub smh

**(*jihoon voice*) Kim Junkyu!:** don’t “smh” me when u know that i’m rigHT (ノ°益°)ノ

**an actual f*cking angel:** sorry hyung :(((

 **an actual f*cking angel:** we’ve already left 

**jaehyuk’s boyfriend:** sorry hyung

**asahi’s boyfriend:** we’ve already left too

**satan himself:** are we just gonna ignore the fact that jaesahi finish each other’s sentences or

 **satan himself:** but i think that hyung and i can

 **satan himself:** right hyung?

**i can suck a tiddy while i’m standing up:** yep, just drop the kid off like soon bc we’re abt to head out

**satan himself:** oh!

 **satan himself** changed **(*junkyu voice*) Park Jihoon!’s** nickname to **baby daddy lmao**

**baby daddy lmao:** literally die 

**satan himself:** anything for u mwah! (˘ε˘ʃƪ)

**baby daddy lmao: 💀💀💀**

\---

_It’s not a crush._

_Or at least that’s what Junkyu tries (and fails) to convince himself._

_Because as much as he’d love to have a chance at loving Jihoon, he simply can’t._

_Junkyu’s smile faltering when Jihoon comes to him, eyes shining with joy as he excitedly tells his best friend about the latest person of his affections, something that still hurts to hear no matter how many times Junkyu’s heard it before._

_But to make matters worse (for Junkyu, not Jihoon), this time the person of Jihoon’s affections feels the same, something that comes as more of a shock to Junkyu than it is to Jihoon himself._

_“Can you believe it?!” Jihoon had exclaimed, “Me? Scoring a date with Yoonbin? The Ha Yoonbin?! It just feels so unreal!”_

_“I bet,” Junkyu had nodded, the “I’m happy for you Ji” that he knows he should be saying nowhere to be found, and god does that make him feel selfish, because he should be happy for Jihoon, he really should._

_Because there were two things Junkyu realized that day:_

  1. _Jihoon’s smile is like sunlight, illuminating the world around him. When Junkyu smiles as well, he is like the moon_ _—_ _reflecting some fraction of the older’s radiance._



  1. _And now that he’s found his sunlight, he never wants to let him go._



\---

"Man, being a baby must fucking suck," Doyoung remarks, crouching down to read the various labels of baby food jars with a grimace, "No wonder they're always crying, just look at this shit!" Nose wrinkling in disgust as he picks up a jar of Gerber's baby food labeled "Broccoli & Carrots with Cheese,” gagging. And Hyunsuk just rolls his eyes as he balances Junghwan on his hip, the little boy’s face flushed beet red thanks to the screaming fit he threw when Junkyu and Jihoon dropped him off, the kid having protested violently upon being placed in Doyoung’s arms. But that’s completely understandable, as Hyunsuk would’ve done the same if he were a baby left in the care of Doyoung.

"Hush you moron, you're causing a scene," Hyunsuk hisses, coaxing Junghwan’s hand out his mouth as he walks over to Doyoung, "We're here to get the brat's formula, not criticize his food choices," Swatting the younger's head as he passes him, "Now hurry up, mothers are staring."

"Staring?" He replies, head tilting to the side, and Hyunsuk can’t shake the feeling that he’s being mocked, though one could never tell with Doyoung, "At _us?"_ Pointing at himself and then Hyunsuk before winking at some poor mother who probably just wanted to buy her groceries and go, "There's nothing to see here ladies!" He announces, grinning like a madman, and god does Hyunsuk yearn for the sweet embrace of death, "Just bros being bros!" 

“And yet you still wonder why Yedam is my favorite child...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact about the author—i actually own a wallet that says “take me as i am or watch me as i go” bc how could i not? it’s my most prized possession tbh
> 
> oh! come find me on twt @catboyharuto haha just kidding...unless..?
> 
> anyways thank u sm for reading, i rlly enjoy writing this fic and it makes v happy to know that u all like it too! (^^)♡


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy bday to hwannie so yeah here's some baby hwan bc i love him so :"
> 
> anyways sorry for disappearing but yeah this ch jumps all over the place + it's kinda sad if u squint but oh well bc baby hwan is here !
> 
> i do so many flashbacks here and yes it is bc i need to build up jikyu's past ! they have a lot of history and i just think that needs to be acknowledged :]

_“Hey, Kyu?” And Junkyu hums around his straw, almost angrily sucking up those stupidly stubborn tapioca pearls that clung to the bottom of his now empty boba tea._

_“Mhm?”_

_“Do you have a crush on Mashi?” The younger boy choking on a tapioca pearl as Jihoon laughs, his eyes curving into crescents, obviously taking great joy in teasing his self-proclaimed best friend._

_“W-What?!” Junkyu stammers out, his cheeks flushing as Jihoon only laughs harder, clutching at his sides as he hiccups, “M-Mashi? Me? Having a c-crush on Mashiho?”_

_“Uh-huh,” Jihoon says with a snort, taking a sip from his own overly sweet (not to mention overpriced) tea. “But in all seriousness, Jaehyuk’s somehow convinced himself that you do,”_

_Junkyu groans, because of course only Jaehyuk would be dumb enough to think that he, Kim Junkyu, had a crush on Takata Mashiho._

_(“Forgive him; he’s pure of heart but dumb of ass.” Asahi, Jaehyuk’s boyfriend, had said in response to Jaehyuk saying something less than intelligent.)_

_“Well, you can tell him that he’s wrong,” Junkyu mumbles as he pouts, “Because I don’t have a crush on anyone!” He dramatically huffs, turning his nose up with a humph._

_And to Junkyu’s surprise, Jihoon beams. “Good! Because you’re my Kyu! Only my Kyu!”_

\---

“-kyu? Junkyu? Earth to Kim Junkyu?” Jihoon says, waving a hand in front of Junkyu’s face, the brunette blinking a couple of times before tilting his head in a puppylike manner. The bar’s dim lighting giving Junkyu a sort of golden glow to him, all of his typically sharp edges taking on a much softer side, his cheeks adorably rosy.

"Hmm?" The younger mumbles, his eyes still holding that far away look to them, "Oh! Sorry, I guess I kinda zoned out on you there." He sheepishly chuckles, though his laugh sounds far too forced for Jihoon's liking, the older instantly catching onto something else _besides_ Junkyu's scatterbrained mind being at play.

“You okay?” Jihoon’s lips pursing as Junkyu simply shrugs, picking the cherry out of his shirley temple (yes, he _does_ have a tragically low alcohol tolerance, so non-alcoholic drinks for him it is) and popping it in his mouth, thoughtfully chewing on it as he avoids Jihoon’s gaze. “Junkyu-”

“Why are you so desperate to find Junghwan’s mom?” And Jihoon blinks, clearly not having expected such a question, much less the shiver that runs down his spine when the brunette finally meets his eyes, the disappointment behind them somehow worse than any amount of anger could ever be.

_(“I hate you! I hate you, Park Jihoon!” A six-year-old Junkyu had screamed, his tiny hands balled into fists at his sides, face flushed with anger. “I hate you!”)_

“Wha-”

“If you don’t want him, then why don’t you just go ahead and surrender him?” Junkyu twirling the cherry stem between his thumb and forefinger, “I mean, isn’t it kinda unnecessary for us to be looking for his mom if she _also_ doesn’t want him?” A wave of guilt washing over the older at those words, because _ouch_ , that did kind of hurt to hear.

“Well, I, you know,” Jihoon says, gesturing vaguely, his heart in his throat, childishly toying with the wedge of pineapple on the rim of his drink. “M-Maybe she’ll change her mind?”

Junkyu scoffs, “And if she doesn’t? Then what?” His eyes narrowing when Jihoon looks away, the older merely shrugging his shoulders as he chews on the inside of his cheek, shame pooling low in his stomach.

“I,” Jihoon pauses, glancing over at the now mostly melted ice cubes of Junkyu’s shirley temple before exhaling defeatedly, “I don’t know.” 

\--- 

_“Are you…?” Yoshi trails off, the Japanese boy taking a sip from Junkyu’s water bottle as he wipes the sweat from his brow, the cicadas chirping as the midday sun rained down on them. The brunette’s mouth going dry as he turns away from watching Jihoon mess around with Doyoung, the older’s head thrown back in laughter as the younger boy fumbled over his own two feet, an overly exaggerated pout on Doyoung’s face as he does so. (“Quit laughing, hyung!”)_

_Junkyu swallows, his stomach churning._

_“Am I what?” He asks, hoping to buy himself just enough time to come up with a semi-believable lie to tell for when he’s asked the inevitable._

_“In love with Jihoon.” Yoshi finishes, nudging the water bottle back into Junkyu’s hands, who’s gone stiff, his face paling despite the summer’s sweltering heat._

_“No, I’m not in love with Jihoon,” He whispers, “But...but I think that I could learn to be.”_

\--- 

“Can I ask you something, hyung?” Hyunsuk looking up from attempting to spoon-feed Junghwan some whole grain rice cereal, the seven-month-old squirming about in his high chair as he reaches for ‘the airplane.’

_(“Whole grain?” Doyoung whines, Hyunsuk popping a paci in Junghwan’s mouth when the kid begins to fuss, “But that’s so expensive!”)_

“Hm? What is it, Youngie?” The older frowning when Junghwan turns his cheek at the last second, Doyoung snorting as he leans over to wipe at the babe’s cheek, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Do you and Yoshi-hyung ever wanna have kids?” Hyunsuk’s ears going pink as he nearly drops the spoon that he was using to feed Junghwan with, though this doesn’t seem to faze the redhead in the slightest, as he carries on as though nothing ever happened. “You know, after you guys get married-”

“D-Doyoung!” Hyunsuk splutters, his face just as pink as his ears now. Doyoung only giggling like the little shit that he is before scooping Junghwan out of his high chair with a grin, the baby boy squealing as Doyoung presses a kiss to his forehead. 

“Answer the question, hyung — do you or do you not?” Doyoung gently bouncing Junghwan in his arms as Hyunsuk sighs, running a hand through his hair as he glances down at his watch. “C’mon, hyung,” The younger whines, “I just wanna know-”

“I _don’t_ know,” Hyunsuk finally admits, his voice tight, soft-spoken in a way that he rarely is. “I’d like to think that in a perfect world we’d get married and have kids, but I...I can’t...,” He falters, “I...yeah, I don’t know.” Junghwan letting out a yawn as he nuzzles into Doyoung’s warmth, the redhead’s sweater grasped tightly in his tiny fists.

“But-”

“But _nothing_ ,” Hyunsuk mutters, rising from the table and heading towards the sink, “Now come and help me clean up; Yoshi and Yedam should be here any second.”

\--- 

_“You’d date me if I was a girl, right?” Jihoon asks, Yedam simply shaking his head as he and Asahi exchanged a knowing look, the blonde rolling his eyes before turning his attention back to his phone, shuffling through his playlist until he lands on a song that Jaehyuk had suggested._

_“I don’t know, would I?” Junkyu replies, sticking his tongue out at the older, who whines, sticking his tongue right back out at him._

_“I think that you-”_

_“He would,” Asahi interrupting Jihoon as he takes his earbuds out, obviously annoyed that his hyungs were back on their bullshit, Yedam biting back a laugh as Junkyu’s face turns tomato red, “Now would you two please just shut up before you give me a headache-”_

_“I most certainly would not!” Junkyu squawks, Asahi grumbling something in Japanese as he puts his earbuds back in, too tired to be dealing with whatever sort of sexual tension that Jihoon and Junkyu had going on now._

_“You would too!”_

_“Nuh-uh!” Jihoon making a small noise of disagreement just for the sake of riling Junkyu up even more, “I would rather die than date you!”_

_(Ah. Guess it worked)_

\---

“You don’t know?” Jihoon wincing when he hears the thinly veiled anger behind Junkyu’s words, “What the fuck, Jihoon?! What do you mean you don’t know?”

“Look, I’m sorry!” Junkyu’s jaw clenching, his lips pursed, “But did you seriously expect me to actually _want_ the kid?”

“He has a name, Jihoon,” The leniency that the brunette once held for the older dwindling when Jihoon sighs, “So use it.”

“Right,” His voice is clipped, “My bad,” Jihoon’s heart dropping to the pit of his stomach as the nights spent consoling their group’s youngest come flooding back to him. The trembling of Doyoung’s shoulders paired with his heartbreaking sniffles forever ingrained in Jihoon’s mind. 

_(“Was I that bad of a kid, hyung? Was I that hard to love?”)_

“Hey...Hoon?” Junkyu slowly starts, hesitantly reaching out to take Jihoon’s hand in his, his chest tightening when Jihoon makes no attempts to pull away, “You...You do know that it’s okay to be scared-”

“I’m not scared,” Jihoon mutters, jerking his hand out of Junkyu’s with way more force than necessary, “I just don’t want to be a dad at twenty-one...I don’t...I can’t-” 

“But you _can_ ,” Junkyu whispers, “You don’t have to, of course, because the Jihoon that I lo-” His breath hitching when he realizes what he’d almost said, nervously side-eyeing Jihoon, who surprisingly hasn’t seemed to notice Junkyu’s slip up. “B-Because the Jihoon that I know can do almost anything,” Junkyu’s heart hammering against his rib cage as he gathers the courage needed for what he’s about to say next, _“And if you want, I’ll even move in with you to help you raise Hwan.”_

\--- 

_“Let’s make a deal,” Yoshi giggling softly when he hears Hyunsuk groan, Asahi (in his drunken stupor) clinging to Jaehyuk’s left arm while Yedam had his right, equally (if not more) as drunk as the blonde was. “If I’m not married by the time I’m forty, one of you guys has to marry me,”_

_“Ewww,” Asahi whines, his nose wrinkling, “But I don’t wanna marry you Jihoonie, I wanna marry Jaehyukie...I think? Yeah, I wanna marry Jaehyukie!” Jaehyuk shooting his hyung a sympathetic smile when Hyunsuk barks out a laugh, the eldest of the group nearly face planting as he does so._

_(“Why on earth didn’t you stop me after my sixth drink?!)_

_“Whatever, it’s not like I wanted to marry you anyways,” Jihoon pouts, Doyoung too pissed about Hyunsuk’s insistence to him abiding by legal drinking laws to make his usual little shit™ remarks, his arms crossed as he stared down his capri sun. “I’ll just marry Yedam then — right, Yedamie?”_

_“Nope!” The second youngest singsongs, cuddling up closer to Jaehyuk with a sleepy smile, his hair tousled and his cheeks pink. “I’m gonna marry Sahi-yah and Jaehyukie-hyung!” And Doyoung snorts, smugly plucking up the straw of his capri sun and chewing on it with a smirk. (Ha! Serves you right old man!)_

_“Well damn,” Jihoon says almost sadly, dramatically placing a hand over his heart, his head hung low, “Guess I’ll die alone the-”_

_“Fuck you, Park Jihoon!” Junkyu shouts as he chucks an empty beer can at the older’s head, “What about me!? Huh?! I exist too!”_

_“Okay and? Doyoung also exists too, you know-”_

_“Doyoung’s a fucking gremlin!”_

_“He is not!” Hyunsuk, sweet, loving Hyunsuk, is quick to defend poor Doyoung, “Youngie’s an angel!”_

_“An angel who a) has bleached my eyebrows at a sleepover once because he was, and I quote, ‘curious to see if I’d be exactly 35% uglier without them.’ b) eaten stolen buttercream frosting straight from the tub behind a Walmart while high as balls, and c) has catfished like half the soccer team purely for no reason other than to fuck with them-”_

_“Shut up! I’m right here, you know!” Jihoon rolling his eyes as Yoshi passes Doyoung another capri sun to shut him up, which, admittedly, works._

_(“He’s like a baby, you just gotta give him his baby bottle, and he’s good to go!”_

_“Please die Junkyu-hyung, please.”)_

_“As I was saying,” Junkyu angrily flipping Jihoon off when the older boy simply winks at him, “I guess I’ll die all alone then-”_

_“Listen here, Mr. ‘I’m gonna die alone when a whole Kim Junkyu literally exists to marry me so that I don’t die alone-”_

_“Oh, so you do agree to marry me then?” Jihoon grinning as Junkyu squirms, clearly embarrassed that he technically did indeed do just that._

_“I mean, it’s not like I-”_

_“Great!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments/kudos would be cool but yeah thank u sm for reading i hope u enjoyed ! ^__^
> 
> twitter: @catboyharuto


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